Anthony Davis just dropped a bombshell, explaining exactly what went wrong in his final season with the Los Angeles Lakers before that shocking trade for Luka Doncic. This wasn’t some minor beef; AD revealed it was literally a weight on his shoulders, a physical struggle that completely changed his game and ultimately led to his departure.
The Heavy Price of Playing Center
You remember it, right? AD and LeBron James were an absolute force, one of the best duos in the league, even snagging an NBA championship together. But things started to sour. Davis was super vocal in his last year with the Lakers, straight up telling anyone who’d listen what they needed to really click. His big ask? A true center. “I think we need another big,” Davis told ESPN’s Shams Charania back then. “I feel like I’ve always been at my best when I’ve been the 4, having a big out there.” He wanted to play his natural power forward spot, the ‘4’, not be stuck battling the league’s biggest bruisers every single night.
The Lakers didn’t get him that big, and instead, on a late February night in 2025, it was Davis who got blindsided. In a massive three-team deal involving Utah, the Lakers shipped him out to the Dallas Mavericks. The return? Dallas sent Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to LA, in exchange for Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick. Yeah, Luka Doncic! Talk about a blockbuster. Davis wouldn’t even stay in Dallas, later getting traded to the Washington Wizards.
“I Feel Heavy”: AD’s Physical Battle
It’s clear now that Davis didn’t feel his best during that whole messy final season in LA. He recently admitted the whole reason he was struggling was because of the strength training he was doing to cope with playing center. He was constantly going up against monsters like Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic. “I never like I’ve always played like 250,” Davis said. “And that year I had got to like 265 and it was like I didn’t like it. It was actually probably like 268 and I didn’t like it. I’m like, bro, I can’t play like this. I feel heavy.”
He tried to shed the weight during the season, but doing that while playing at an elite NBA level? “It was tough,” he admitted. That’s when he went to the Lakers and pushed for another big man, saying he needed to get back to his preferred ‘4 spot’. But it just didn’t happen. Davis didn’t enjoy all that added weight one bit, and the Lakers refusing to let him go back to power forward ultimately signaled the end of his time there.
Now, playing the power forward position with the Wizards, Davis says he finally feels better than he did. It’s a huge shift for an NBA champion, and it goes to show just how much a player’s comfort in their role, both physically and mentally, impacts everything. With AD finally back at the ‘4’ and feeling good, you gotta wonder what kind of season he’s about to unleash.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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